A fundraiser has been established online to help cover the medical expenses of veteran Batman artist Norm Breyfogle, who suffered a stroke last week, leaving the left-handed illustrator paralyzed on his left side.

According to the campaign, launched by his brother Kevin Breyfogle and sister-in-law Wendy Wiegert, the 54-year-old Breyfogle has no health insurance and a savings eaten away by his hospital stay, yet requires months of care and physical therapy at a nursing home.

A day into the effort, it’s raised nearly $16,500 toward its $200,000 goal, which will be used to cover the $10,000-a-month costs of the nursing home (Wiegert and Kevin Breyfogle say that Medicaid is expected to begin covering those expenses after six months).

Boldfaced emphasis added by me.

Terrible news.

I don’t run ads on this blog (WordPress does; I get none of that). I’ve never asked for anything other than interested readers. But if you have found this site useful, sometimes I ask readers to contribute to others as a way of saying thanks.

The pre-sale price is 1,599 yuan — or about US$256. The alleged regular price is 1,999 yuan — or about US$321. Prices that high are bumping up against well-known global brands — even if those brands can’t match these specs.

I know this tablet interests many people. But I stand firm on my advice: Never buy the first batch. China tablet makers have a record of quietly revising their hardware. Early buyers sometimes get stuck with versions that can’t be fully updated. Don’t be a lab rat! Always wait at least a month.